Starting a dot-com

Note: what follows is an updated version of my previous post. I'm starting a new project: the working title (pending domain name registration) is WORG, which is short for Web-based database system for non-profit ORGanizations. This is a real-world business, no more "make your own games". WORG is a web site where non-profit organizations can create web-based databases, which reside on the WORG server, not on the end-user's hard drive, and are accessed via the user's web browser. These databases are for keeping track of donors, members (people served by the organization), employees/volunteers, employee scheduling, program scheduling (event calendars), etc. To access these databases, the user of say Fred Victor Centre (where I used to work) points her web browser to http://worg.com/fredvictor/login.html, and then enters her user ID and password.

Some other features of the WORG web site include discussion forums, a knowledgebase, tech support via email, custom programming (for a fee), sample databases, and public databases. Every database hosted by WORG has a public version, containing fake data entered by a data entry clerk in my employ. All text fields entered in the public copy of each database are forced to be significantly different than the real data initially displayed, preserving confidentiality of the real data. Users can browse the available public databases, and copy the ones they like to their own private user area, modifying those databases if desired. Some public databases are read-only, and cannot be modified. Copies of those databases must be created manually. WORG users can designate select databases as public read-only, to prevent other users from modifying the public versions of those databases. If WORG customers are concerned about confidential data being viewed by the person entering the fake data, then the original data will be disguised by jumbling up consecutive strings of numbers or letters more than 2 characters long.

Customers of WORG can purchase subscriptions for say $10 or $20 per month and up. WORG is meant to compete with http://www.gnosisfornonprofits.com/, which charges $100/month + $500 setup and up, and provides web-based, canned databases for non-profits. Suppose I can sign up 100 customers at $20/month each. That's $2000/month, whereas web hosting (dedicated server) for TurboGears (my Python-based web framework) starts at only $30/month. So a potential for profitability exists.

Activity Database

One week ago I submitted a proposal to Sound Times (where I now work teaching members how to use the computers), in which I proposed to create an Activity Database (a clickable calendar of activities for the members), working on my own time. The member clicks on a desktop shortcut to access the following URL: http://worg.com/soundtimes/sched.html, and a calendar of activities is displayed. Clicking on an activity displays more detailed info, and optionally enables the member to sign up for the activity by entering his name. Today I spoke with Jeff, who handles activity scheduling at Sound Times, and he likes my proposal. He did point out an obvious shortcoming: not all Sound Times members use the computers. His solution is to acquire a large wall-mounted touch-sensitive computer screen. Members "write" their names with their fingers instead of with the keyboard. Tonight I'm going to suggest, via email, that members just write their initials (including the middle one). If 2 or more members have the same initials, a list of matching names pops up, and the members must pick their name from the list (this requires having a database of member names). My supervisor at Sound Times, Steve, has yet to make the decision to go ahead with the Activity Database. If they do decide to go ahead with it, the first step will be for me to implement the computer-based version, not the touch-screen version.

If Sound Times declines my offer to implement the Activity Database, then I will ask Fred Victor Centre to re-hire me as a volunteer (one afternoon a week), and submit the same proposal to that organization. When I was first interviewed for my job at Sound Times, the Executive Director said that with my experience (20 years, mostly part-time, working in the IT industry), almost any non-profit organization would hire me as a computer tutor. So if Fred Victor Centre also declines my proposal, I can approach yet another non-profit, and if unsuccessful, keep trying until one of them accepts it (to implement an Activity Database, or maybe some other kind of database). That database will be the prototype of a database created by a WORG user.

WORG and APROM

I would like to cut down from 3 days a week to 2 days a week. If that is unacceptable, then I propose to work at home one day a week and come in to the office 2 days a week. I'm going to get rid of my car and stop driving in the first 2 weeks of November (or sooner), before the insurance runs out. I am offering APROM a 10-percent part-ownership in WORG, and in return I can rely on APROM for WORG-related business advice.

To implement WORG I intend to use the Linux operating system, the Apache web server, the MySQL database, the Python programming language, and the TurboGears Python-based web framework (all of those are open source, which means free). I already have Linux and Windows XP on my home computer, as well as Python, with which I am familiar, having used Python for my games program. This weekend I intend to install TurboGears and start going through the tutorial.

Epilogue

I emailed the above post to Arvin, my boss at APROM, who called it very ambitious, but good if I can pull it off. I've stopped driving and have begun the process of donating my 15-year old car to a charity (it's not currently drivable as it has a leak in the cooling system). So all systems are go (except my vehicle).